Peanut dispensing device



Sept' 6 1932- c. w. MABEY 1,876,332

PEANUT DISPENS ING DEVICE Filed Aug. 5, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l (a 4 IZ Char/eo l/1/. /Wa bey, @www mm,

42 for/1 eys,

PEANUT DISPENS ING DEVICEl Filed Aug. s. 1951 2 sheets-sheet 2 nven for.

Char/e6 W /Wabey 5f www mm,

Patented Sept. 6, 1.932

UNITEUYSTATBS PArN'rf-oeFicE CHARLES W.' MABEY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR `'.[O MABEY ELECTRIC D i MANUFACTURING COMPANY, F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIAN A 'TrEANUrnIsrnNsING Device v Application mea auguste, k1931. serial No'. 554,730.

This invention relates to the art of dispens` l ing machines and particularly to a device for dispensing shelled peanuts. f y A primary object of the invention is to provide a measuring cup, the volume of which may be varied to meet fluctuating prices lof the nuts, and to provide means for varying the volume in a veryV simpleand effective form. y A primary obj ect of the invention is to provide coin controlled means for operating the dispenser of an improved form which will retain the last coin deposited in a visible position. j p j v Aprimary object of the inventionis to provide means for intercepting the last coin deposited and retaining it until the previously deposited coin has been ejected from the coin control means. p A primary object of the rinvention is to provide simple and secure means for removably retaining the storage bowl and other members in assembled. position.

A further obj ectof theinvention is to provide a coin controlled'mechanism that will be self operating following'a preliminary hand operation.

A still further object of the invention is to provide theparticular combination of 'elements' as set forth by the claims below ap` pended tothe end of securing an economical production of the dispenser and a long life thereof with the Vminimum amount'of servic-v ing, i i i y yThese and other objects will become apparent in the following description of the invention, with reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig'. 1 is front view in perspectivevof a dispenser embodying my invention;

2, a top plan view of the dispenser with the top cap removed; ,y i v Fig. 3, a detail in front elevation of the measuring cup. and coin control mechanism Fig. 4, a vertical section on the'line 1Q- L1 inFig. 3;

Fig.. 5, a horizontal section on the line 5'-5 in Fig.. 3;V I

Fig'. 6, a detail in. vertical section 0f the container retaining means.

lLike.characters offreference indicate like paits in the several viewsin the drawings.

1 form a base 10 to which is secured a bowl have a lower flange 13 adapted to slip over and fit about the upper edge of the bowl 11 and provide means such asa bayonet joint 14E to retainth-e shell 12 in position over the bowl 11. Preferably a lock 15 is provided to have a member vengage one of the pins of the bayonet joints in order to prevent the unwarhopper walls to extend verticallytherefrom through the opening 16 and up through a bottle-like container V19 which is open atV both ends.l The :upper-ends of the rods 18 pass through a ring 20 to receive nuts thereon in order to draw the ring 20 down snugly against the'upper end of the container 19 in order to retain the container firmly on the shell 12.

*Il preferably support an electric lamp 21v centrally'of the ring 20 and provide a tube 22 'down through the container 1'9'to within the, shell 12 through which conducting wires may be passed to carry current to the lamp. A cap 23 is formed to fit over theV ring 20* with a skirt which extends down over the neck of the container 19 somewhat and which has, aseries of holes24: therethrough and through which light fromthe lamp'21 may pass. The cap 23A is secured in place by Vmeans of a hook anchoredin the ring 2O to haveY V11. I also form a cylindrical shell 12 to i a loop passed through the cap to receive a i padlock 26 therethrough, which lock prevents the lifting of the cap. Y

The measuring cup housing 17 is here shown as being a horizontally disposed cylindrical member vformed in two symmetrical halves,fthe hopper above referred to being onfthe upper side of the upper half. The cup 27 itself is a hollow cylindrical one piece member rotatably supported by the end trunthe plate nions 28 and 29 to be free to be revolved within the housing 17. The cup 27 is provided with the diametrically opposed longitudinal openings and 31, the width of which corresponds to the width of the opening extended along the bottom of the hopper on the upper side of the housing 17. The housing 17 is provided with a lower opening 32 of the same width as those of the openings Vv through the cup 27 The cup 27 isdivided intotwo equal compartments by a diametrically 'disposed plate 33 held by its lateral edges within grooves extending. longitudinally along the inner wall of the cup 27 The plate 33 is provided with a slot 34 extending from the end toward the trunnion 28 to about the center of the plate, the slot being on the axial line of the cup.

A second plate having` a central S- shaped b-end with substantially half of the length of the bend cut away to form a longitudinal slot is inserted to have half of the plate above and below the plate` 33 by .placing the S bend in the slot 34 and allowing the solid part of the plate 33 to pass in the slot in the plate 35. The end of the plate 35 toward the trunnion 28 is engaged by the head of a screw 36 which screw-threadedly passes through the trunnion 28 to `the outside to carry a wing nut 37 on its outer end and a lock nut 38. adapted to be drawn up against the outer end of the trunnion.

By turning the wing nut 37, the plate 35 may be rocked in relation to the plate 33 to carry the outer sides of the plate 35 toward or away fromtherespective cup openings 30 and 31. The outer sides ofthe plate 35 are in close proximity to the wall of the cup 27. Thus b y rocking the plate 35 to carry the, outer sides away from the plate 33 and toward the cup openings, the volume of the cup from the side ofthe plate 35 toward the cup openings in either of the compartments in the cup is reduced, and similarly rocking 35 in the reverse direction, the volume is increased to the maximum of substantially half of the volume of the cup 27 or that volume as defined in either of the two compartments on the opposite side of the dividing plate 33. The desired compartment volume is retained after the plate 35 is rocked by running the lockV nut 38 tightly against the end of the trunnion 28.

n The. container 19 is preferably made of glass in order to make the contents visible r from without. The contents normally drop through the open end of the container 19 into the hopper on the container housing 17. The measuring cup 27 is normally positioned to have an opening thereof registering with the opening from the hopper into the housing 17, as indicated in Fig. 4. Therefore, the peanuts or other like articles to be vended from the container 19 drop from the hopper through the opening to fill the compartment of the cup 27 presented. By rocking the entire cup 27, the wail of the cup comes around to close off the opening from the hopper and 180 degrees of travel of the cup brings the filled compartment around to the underside position to have the opening of that filled compartment register with the opening 32 in the housing wall whereby the contents may flow 'by gravity from the compartment 'and slidevdown the inclined chute 39 to the spout 40 which is secured to the bowl 11 and has a door 41 Nnormally closed thereacross to arrest the travel of the peanuts discharging from the cup. By rocking the upper end of the door 41 inwardly toward the bowl, the lower ypart of the door is raised from the loor of the spout to permit the peanuts to slide on without. After the cup 27 hasbeenrevolved to the discharge position as 'just described, the other opening 31 in the cup 27has been brought around to the upper position to register with the opening in the hopperlto be filled by gravity to be ready for another 180 degrees travel of the cup 27 The trunnion 29 projects beyond the end wall ofthe housing 17 and terminates in a squared or rectangular shaped end. 42 which projects between the jaws in the inner end of the shank 49 which rotatably extends inward ly through the shell 12 from the outer hand operating wheel 50. i j V,

A window 78 is provided in the bowl l1 at the level to display therethrough whereby the last coin employed is always visibley from outside the bowl. Along the upper side of the cup housing 17 immediately under-the hopper portion thereof I position the heating .elements 79 and 8O as a means of heating the hopper walls and thus the peanuts resting thereon as well as the peanuts in the upper half of the measuring cup 27 By Vso locating the heating elements the heating is applied to a small volume only of the peaunts and to that volume which is next to be dispensed. By so positioning these heating elements, the elements may be relatively small and hence `the current consumption also is small. a

Referring again to the manner of holding the container 19v in place onthe-shell 12, the ring 20, is drawn down agaist the container 19 by the small nuts on the ends ofthe bolts 18, Fig. 4 and the lamp 21 is carried by a socket which is attached to the barv84. This bar 84 has a hole drilled through it near each end, the holes being properly spaced apart to receive the upper end of the rods 18 therethrough which project upwardly beyond the bar. In shipping, a wing nut is run down on one of the rods 18 to hold the bar in place, but in use, the wing nut is discarded so that the lamp and its supporting bar may readily be lifted to permit filling of the container `19 through the ring 20. The container 19 will compartment,

require internal washing or cleaning from time to time, and to permit this cleaning, the ring 20 may be removed by taking ofi the retaining nuts on rods 18. The vtube 22 projects f upwardly through` and beyond the ring 20, but the ring 2O is slotted about the tube 22 whereby the ring may be slipped. laterally away from the tube and entirely removed from over the container so that the container may then be lifted upwardlyover the lamp 21 then hanging from the tube by the Wires leading from the tube end to the lamp base or socket, all without having to disconnect the wires. j

vWhile I have here shown and described my invention in the form as now best known to me, it is obvious that structural changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I, therefore, do not desire to be limited tothat precise form, nor any more than may be required by the following claims.

I claim: Y

1. In a dispensing machine, a container, a cylindrical housing below the container having an upper opening in communication with the container and having a lower opening, a cylindrical hollow cup revolvably carried within said housing by end trunnions carried through the ends of the housing, said cup having two spaced apart openings through its side wall, a partition through the cup dividing it into two compartments to have one of said cup openings into one compartment and the other opening into the second compartment, a plate in each of said compartments having a free side adapted to be swung in close proximity over the wall of the cup, a tie between the plates in each a member engaged to said tie and screwthreadedly passed axially through one of said trunnions whereby the member may be revolved to swing said plates, and a lock nut on the tie for securing said member to the trunnions in selective positions the other end trunnion of the cup being flattened, an operating wheel having ay shank and means with jaws to engage the flattened trunnion for securing the shank to the trunnion whereby the cup is held whilethe plates are being adjusted.

2. For a dispensing device, a measuring cup mounted on each trunnion, a central partition plate through the cup, an adjusting plate bifurcated and straddling said partition plate to have part of the adjusting plate on one side and the other part on the other side of the partitionplate, and a member fixed to the adjusting plate and screw threadedly extending to without the cup through a trunnion, said member being so mounted as to transmit rotation thereof to said adjusting plate to revolve it about the partition plate to vary the effective filling volume of the cup simultaneously and equally on plate, a

,each side `ot said partition plate and. aflock trunnion. y

3j. In. aA vending device,` a.- container, a 'measuring cup below the container rockably mounted on trunnions, a- .pl-ate dividing 4the cup into two compartments, a second plate YhavinganSfshaped bend cutaway fora part :of the. lengthY of the bend-,to forma slot by j which half ofthe .second plate is 1 assembled above and half below'the lirstplate,;a screw .passed threadedly through one ot' the trunn ionsl of the cup; and engaging. theV second wing nut on the `outer j end. of .the screw anda lock-nut on the screw against the trunnion.v l .y

t. In a dispensing device, a base', a container-.open at bothendsfrand supportedby thebase, a ring adapted to? rest around the upperv end of the container, retaining rods fixed by their lower ends and extending up through the container to pass through said ring, means engaging the rods to press the ring against the container, a bar resting across the ring and receiving the upper ends y of the rods therethrough, a lamp base carried by the bar, a tube extending through the container to have an upper end extend through said ring, said ring being slotted to be removably itted about the tube, and'wires j extending from the tube end and secured to said lamp base.

5. In a dispensing device, a base, a container open at both ends and supported by the base, a ring adapted to rest around the retaining rods I upper end of the container, fixed by their lower ends andextending up through the container to pass through said ring, means engaging the rods to'press the ring` against the container, a bar resting across the ring and receiving the upper ends vof the rods therethrough, a lamp base carried by the bar, a tube extending through the l container to have an upper end, extend through said ring, said ring being slotted to be removably fitted about the tube,'and wires extending from the tube end and secured to said lamp base, a cap having a skirt adapted to fit over said ring and extend down over the upper end of said container ashort distance, and a loop fixed to saidring adapted to extend through a slot in said cap to receive a lock therethrough externally of the cap to prevent withdrawal of the cap from over said ring.

6. In a dispensing device, a container open at top and bottom, a container supporting member, a ring adapted to rest'on the top of the container around its upper opening, a

rod Yfixed by its lower end relative to said 'i .a skirt extending loelovs7 the ring a short distance around thecontainer, said cap having a slot therethrough to permit they said loop to extend outside of the cap to receive a lock thereon.

' 7.,In a dispensing device,-a base, a conv tainer open at both ends and supported by Y the base, a ring adapted to rest around the upper end of the container, retaining rods fixed-by theirv lower ends and extending up through the Container and through the ring, a bar across the ring through which 'the rods pass,` nuts on the rods to press the ring against the container, a cap havinga skirt fitting over said ring andv extending down over the upper end of the container, and

means to look the cap to the ring.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

CHARLES W. MABEY. 

